


Residue

by Topoftheslide



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Awesome Tony, Everyone Needs A Hug, M/M, Sad Bruce Banner, Threesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2015-06-27
Packaged: 2018-04-06 12:17:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4221450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Topoftheslide/pseuds/Topoftheslide
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Dear Tony and Steve,<br/>I’m sorry. You are unbelivably kind people and I don’t deserve your friendship.<br/>I should have left earlier.<br/>Thank you for everything,<br/>B.B."<br/>Steve’s mind was made. No way was his friend spending one more minute like this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Residue

It was Steve who found the letter.  
It was at the end of a very long day. The mision had gone wrong, the Halk had hit a wall when Iron Man was behind it, and Tony has been hurt. Not badly, but still. Steve rushed through the debrief as fast as he could, but by the time he got to see Tony in sickbay one of the doctors was on the verge of tears. Steve’s heart went out to the poor man. Tony was a terible patient. He could see the relief on his face when Steve promised to take good close care of Tony if the doctors agreed to let him go home. With only a dislocated shoulder and a few bruised ribs, Tony really didn’t need to spend the night at S.H.I.E.L.D. 

He got Tony home and into bed, and was on his way to the kitchen to get them both something to eat when he saw the note. 

Dear Tony and Steve,  
I’m sorry. You are unbelivably kind people and I don’t deserve your friendship.  
I should have left earlier.  
Thank you for everything,  
B.B.

“Shit.” Steve said, letting his emotions get the better of him.  
“Language!” came Tony’s voice from the bedroom.

With Jarvis’s help it was easy enough to locate Dr. Banner. Assuming he would rather not fly if he could avoid it, Jarvis scanned security cameras at all the major bus and train stations to find him waiting for the Grayhound at Grand Central Station.  
Steve ran.

With Jarvis directing him through the maze of the underground platforms, Steve found Dr. Banner quite easily. From afar he almost looked homeless, with his hunched shoulders and ragged clothes. Steve had to remind himself of the way Dr. Banner looked in the lab, bouncing ideas back and forth with Tony, their beautiful minds running too fast for Steve to follow.  
The man on the bench seemed nothing like that. He was shivering, soaking wet from the rain, and with an air of sadness and despair to him that made Steve's heart ache.  
When Steve touched Banner on the shoulder he flinched, like a dog expecting to be kicked. Steve’s mind was made. No way was his friend spending one more minute like this.

 

“Get out of those wet clothes and go sit with Tony. I’ll get you some tea.” Steve said when they both entered the apartment. He could be bossy when he needed to be, and living with Tony meant he needed to be more often than not.  
When he got back to the bedroon, carrying two mugs of herbal tea, Bruce was in one of Tony’s old tee shirts, drying his curly hair with a towel. He looked so tired and vulnerable it hurt.  
Steve looked Tony in the eyes and knew they were on the same page.  
“I should go,” Bruce mumbled, not looking either of them in the eye. “You’ve had a long day, and Tony is injured,” there were tears in his voice. Steve knew the feeling, needing to leave the room before emotions became too overwhelmed, but he just couldn’t let Bruce go.

“No way are you spending tonight alone.” Steve thought it, but it was Tony’s voice that said the words. “And you have to do as I say, ‘cause I’m hurt and I shouldn’t get upset. Right, babe?”  
Steve pulled Bruce to him and down to the bed. “Hell, no.”  
“Language!” Tony giggled.

 

They ended up all on the bed. Steve and Bruce face to face, Bruce’s head leaning against Tony’s chest, Tony’s good hand ruffling his hair. “This is good,”’ Tony whispered. “You’re safe. You’re home.”  
Bruce closed his eyes for a second, indulging in the rare touch.  
“Is this OK?” Steve asked “I wouldn’t… We don’t have to… I just think we all need some comfort. Some touch. Especially at night. Tonight. OK?”  
Bruce’s eyes opend. He lookes so tired. So exhausted from life. So when he nodded Steve kissed him. There was nothing alse to do. 

Kissing Bruce was good. Very good. Steve could do this for hours. Tony always seemed to be in a rush, but Steve liked kissing. After a while he put his hand under Bruce’s shirt, pulling it up a bit. Constantly looking Bruce in the face, making sure it’s OK. He’s OK.  
“Mmmm,” Steve murmerd “You’re hairy.”  
‘Sorry?” Bruce said, hands trying to pull down the shirt.  
“Oh, no. He loves it. Our good captain has a thing for body hair,” said Tony, fondness in his voice.  
“Well, I don’t have any since the serum, and Tony does strange things to his,” Steve said calmly, pulling Bruce’s shirt back up.  
“It’s called manscaping, you ape!” said Tony, just as Bruce, with a scientist’s spark in his eyes asked “Really? How much body hair did you have before? Did it affect your facial hair, too?”  
“Hey, hey,” Steve said, laughing. “Take off your lab coat. I’ll come down tomorrow and you can poke me as much as you want, OK?”  
“Sorry…” Bruce started to say, so Steve really had to kiss him again.

Steve knew he had to go slow. Bruce obviously wasn't a virgin, but it had definitely been a while for him. Steve didn't even know if Bruce was into men. And it kinda seemed too late to ask at this point, with his lips on Bruce's neck and his fingers working their way into the old belt’s buckle. But Bruce sounded like he was enjoying it, making quite little pleasure noises, so Steve figured it was probably OK and nussuled his way down to the now open pants. 

"No! Sorry... Don't. I can't! You can't! I mean, I wish you could. God, I wish you could. I bet it would be amazing. Fuck. I'm so sorry, Steve. Please, just... Stop."

Steve stopped, raising his eyes to look up, leaning his head on one arm, the other still resting on Bruce's stomach.  
"What's wrong?" He asked, as calmly as he could.  
"It's just... The radioactive residue. In my body. But especially in my... Ehh... Bodily fluids? Shit. I shouldn't have even kissed you like that. I'm so stupid. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."  
Bruce tried to wiggle out of bed, probably to run away and never stop running. And Steve knew what was going to happen, but couldn't think of a way to stop him, of the right thing to say to make him stay.  
"You are an idiot, doc. Good thing I'm here. And to think you're the scientific genius. Really. It's just sad, man."  
"What?" Bruce tried to look at Tony, who was still spooning him, but without any real luck.  
"I did the math AGES ago, man! The trace amounts of radiation is too small to hurt Steve's inhanced body. As long as you don't do this more than... I don't know... 30? 35 times a day? You should be within the safe margin of error. And by the way - whatever fantasies you might've had about our super soldier here, you're about to be very disappointed. After the fifth time he just wants to sleep. Well, he's not as young as he used to be." Tony grinned.  
"Jarvis? Dig up the old file for the radioactive resistant condoms we were working on when Dr. Banner just moved in."  
Tony looked at the two staring at him.  
"What? Like I wouldn't try making condoms for you, Doc. Have you seen yourself in a lab coat?"

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to the amazing Subjunctive_Historian .  
> Best Beta ever!


End file.
